Trembling Stars
by Christa Weald
Summary: ost 'Gift', slight AU. A new Slayer arrives in Sunnydale bringing with her a few shady secrets and some unwelcome company, if that's not bad enough Dawn becomes a vampire, sired by Spike.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Trembling Stars Author: Christa Weald Email: vampyrehunteruk@yahoo.co.uk Disclaimer: Buffy and co are property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, this fic is written for fun and no other reason. Summary: Post 'Gift', slight AU. A new Slayer arrives in Sunnydale bringing with her a few shady secrets and some unwelcome company, if that's not bad enough Dawn becomes a vampire, sired by Spike. Author's notes: feedback, comments, suggestions would be appreciated. ^word^ = thought *word* = italics //word// = telepathic talking  
  
Part 1  
  
No matter how many ways the well dressed British woman tried to explain it to her, it just made no sense to Cynthia. She'd heard the whole save the world from darkness speech before.  
  
"I think you must have me confused with someone else," Cynthia insisted.  
  
Luckily for her, at school she was no one special, so none of the really popular people noticed the British woman approach her and cart her off after school.  
  
The woman hadn't even told Cynthia her name yet. Cynthia found herself following the woman through the falling snow to her car. She had been looking forward to walking home with the white flakes dancing around her. Instead she had wound up going with some stranger to find out about her 'destiny'.  
  
"There is no mistake," the woman insisted, opening a door for her in a sleek black Mercedes. "You are the Chosen One, the - "  
  
"To rid the world of the spread of evil, whatever. Yeah, I heard you the first time." She got in the car while the British woman got in the driver's side and started the engine, driving off.  
  
"So where are we going?"  
  
"A place called Sunnydale where you will meet your Watcher."  
  
"And battle the beasties of the Hellmouth. I was under the impression there was already a Slayer in Sunnydale."  
  
"There was, but she made a noble sacrifice to save the human world. That means a new Slayer has to be called to replace her."  
  
They travelled in uncomfortable silence for a while. Cynthia sighed. She knew all about Sunnydale's dark little secret, and about Slayers. It seemed so unlikely that she could actually be one. Her Boss was just going to *love* that.  
  
How was she going to explain this one without getting her ass kicked? Maybe the Boss would understand. ^And maybe pigs will fly^ she thought.  
  
She wondered what would happen with her ordinary life now she was supposed to take that of Slayer. Leaving everything behind and starting something new with a different purpose. Okay, her social status at school left little to be desired, but as fun as she was sure it would have been to be someone, she made her name known elsewhere. She was supposed to turn her back on that and be a Slayer. Not exactly thrilling.  
  
"From what I heard, the first Slayer died very briefly about five years ago and a new one was called to replace her, giving two Slayers, one was killed by a vampire and another was called to replace *her* so why isn't she doing the original's job?"  
  
The British woman looked at her curiously. "How do you know about this? The legend of the Slayers is supposed to be kept secret. If everyone knows who she is, then the demons know who to look for."  
  
Cynthia nodded. She could understand the whole secret identity thing; unfortunately these latest Slayers didn't. Word on got around the underworld vines. "That's one of the advantages of being a nobody, you tend to hear a lot." She couldn't give too much away.  
  
"The Slayer Faith is currently incarcerated, and we need a Slayer who isn't. Decisions were made, rituals were performed and you were Chosen."  
  
"Great," Cynthia said hollowly. She couldn't express enthusiasm for something she really didn't want to do. It didn't look like there was going to be anything she could do to weasel out of this one.  
  
Whether she wanted to or not, she was on her way to be the Slayer in Demon Central. ^How could things be any worse?^ she thought moodily.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
She should have been here by now. Elias checked his watch for the third time.   
  
"You know, looking at the watch won't make time go any quicker." Beside him Phyre tapped her foot impatiently, sighing heavily. Her eyes were narrowed as she gazed around the smoky dive they sat in.   
  
"Shut up. Where the hell is she?" Elias grumbled. He was hungry, and if he didn't feed soon, then he wouldn't be able to control himself.  
  
Phyre glanced at him. "You should have fed before we came here. The Boss will have a fit if you eat the little bitch." Phyre shook her head in disgust, tossing her lilac hair over her shoulder. "Working with humans. What the hell was the Boss thinking?"  
  
Elias shrugged. "She's not coming. Something's happened." He stood up, pushing the table away roughly. "Where else could she be?"  
  
Phyre didn't answer. She didn't even care what the hell happened to the stupid human. Vampires were supposed to kill them, not *work* with them. It had always been that way, with this insane thing...it was almost inevitable that something would eventually go wrong.   
  
"Go try her house," was all she suggested.  
  
Elias grunted and stalked out the bar. The night air was probably bitingly cold after the flurry of snow that kept coming in intervals. Elias almost wished he could feel it. Moving fast at vampire speed he hurried over to Cynthia's house, banging loudly on the door. Which, to his suspicion, was open.   
  
"Cynthia?" he called out.   
  
Unfortunately for him, the damn bitch had never gotten around to actually inviting him in.   
  
She wasn't answering his yells. He couldn't sense any humans in the house either.   
  
"You're a little late."  
  
Elias turned, finding himself facing some woman he didn't recognise, pausing at the foot of the driveway. "What'd you mean?"  
  
"Cynthia left this afternoon. Moved out and went away with some British woman."  
  
British woman? That didn't make any sense. "Where's she going?"  
  
"Her mom said something about a town in California. Sunny something."  
  
Elias headed down the driveway towards the woman, vamped out and sank his fangs in, draining her. So. Cynthia had gone somewhere with a mysterious British woman.   
  
"You really are an idiot."  
  
Elias growled, and left the body behind the row of large bushes in front of the house.  
  
Phyre had decided to reappear. "You killed her in the middle of a residential street. What the hell were you *thinking*?"  
  
Elias snorted, his face morphing back to its usual human visage. "Yeah, like anybody's going to look out a window and cry 'vampire'."  
  
Phyre's eyes rolled. "Whatever. Did you find her?"  
  
"She's gone to California with a British woman. Sunny somewhere."  
  
Phyre's eyebrow rose. For once she actually looked surprised. "Sunnydale?"  
  
"The town where there's supposed to be a Hellmouth?"  
  
Phyre nodded. Elias just looked at her blankly. "What does any of this mean?"  
  
"I think I'd be stating the obvious if I said we'd better find out."  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
"A new Slayer? Can they really do that?" Willow didn't sound too happy.  
  
The news Giles had dropped on the Scoobies was not particularly welcome. The loss of Buffy was hard enough, even two years after she had gone, her presence still hung heavily around the Summer's house. The news that some stranger was going to show up and take over her duties, had come as more than a little surprise.   
  
"So, is she coming here or what?" Xander asked.   
  
The group sat scattered around the Summers' family living room. The rain and thunder crashing out side seemed to match the mood of the group. The mugs of hot chocolate Willow was handing round weren't really doing the trick, neither were the marshmallows Tara was passing out.  
  
"Yes, that's apparently so." Giles sat on an arm chair, despondently cleaning his classes. "According to the Council, I am to be her new Watcher. Her name is Cynthia Collins. She will be arriving tomorrow morning."  
  
"So this girl is just going to waltz in and take over? What's so special about her, anyway?" Anya seemed more interested in her manicure than the new Slayer.  
  
"Some unfortunate girl just picked out at random for a stupid unfair legend," Dawn grumbled, staring at the carpet. "I'm going for a walk."  
  
"It's storming outside, you know," Anya pointed out unhelpfully.  
  
Dawn barely glanced at her as she headed for the front door. "I'm aware of that." They heard the door slamming shut.   
  
"Shouldn't somebody go after her?" Xander had started to move after Dawn.  
  
"Maybe we should just let her clear her head for a bit," Tara suggested.  
  
"Dawn alone in Sunnydale and a storm. Does that spell disaster to anyone else?" Xander said, attempting a smile, though it wasn't really much of a joke.   
  
The living room lights flickered as a clap of thunder boomed over-head, lighting briefly illuminated the room in an eerie white glow.   
  
"Let's go get her before she gets into trouble," Willow said with a sigh, standing up. "We'll catch up on this new Slayer detail later."  
  
Before Giles could protest or say anything they'd gone to get Dawn. Not that there was anything to protest about. There were things he needed to sort out for the new Slayer, training schedules, weapons, and probably high school as well. Not for the first time he found himself missing the old Sunnydale High library.   
  
From what Giles knew Faith wasn't dead, so why there was suddenly a need for a new Slayer was surprising. How could there even be a new Slayer, anyway? The Council hadn't really been much for answering his questions. He had to train her, and that was that.  
  
The Scoobies had done very well with fighting the demon population of Sunnydale, with the added bonus of Spike's strength and speed to make things slightly easier. Though in his opinion, the addition of the Buffy-bot had been more of a hindrance than a help. After almost every battle something needed fixing.   
  
"I made sandwiches for everyone. Peanut butter and jelly. Always fun for rainy days." The bot had appeared in the door way, a huge smile on her plastic lips as she carried a silver trey into the room with a plate piled high with triangular sandwiches. Then she noticed the absence of people in the room. "Oh, did we have to go slay something?"  
  
"My patience," Anya muttered. "They've gone to get Dawn, and Xander's going to get all soaked and drip everywhere." She frowned at the living room window, as if it were responsible for the weather.  
  
"I'm sure they'll be back soon," Giles said, absent mindedly reaching for one of the sandwiches.   
  
"Is there anything important we really need to know about this new Slayer?" Tara asked, sipping from one of the hot chocolate mugs.   
  
"Not that I'm aware of, but - "  
  
"There's always a but," Anya snorted. "Let me guess, she's got issues with Spike, or something along those lines."  
  
"I shouldn't think so. She's only Dawn's age, and she's from Ohio."  
  
"We should set up the guest bedroom for her." Tara put her cup down. "Come on." She tugged Anya up from her seat, propelling her and the Buffy-bot out the room.   
  
Giles silently thanked her. Anya was not in one of her most helpful moods and her tactless comments and pointing out the obvious were not exactly improving the situation. There was only so much of her he could stand when she was like that. Despite his attempts at reassurance, he wouldn't help worrying. This was Sunnydale, after all.  
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
It wasn't right. It just wasn't. The girl belonged to *him*. She'd pledged her alliance and eternal service to him. *This* was how she repaid him?  
  
He scowled at the victim, cowering in rags on the floor before him. He just wasn't interested any more. This was just not like him. He loved the taste of fresh innocent blood coursing through him, giving him life.  
  
But at the moment he didn't feel like it.   
  
"I trust that you are going to bring her back to me."  
  
His eyes bored into the purple haired girl they called Phyre. She stood inside the chamber door, light from the near by candles and shadows mixing together in a macabre dance shimmering over her, making her seem almost like an actually demonic Phantom of the Opera.  
  
"Yes, Master, we're on top of it. We know where she's going and will bring her back."  
  
"Master, the spell is done." His witch in scarlet robes pushed past Phyre, alarm evident in her amber eyes.   
  
"And?" He eyed her, staring intently. It was so handy to have a witch at your disposal. "Sir, she has become a Slayer."  
  
Silence was almost echoing in the room. For a full five minutes, no one said a word. Even the victim had stopped whining.   
  
"A...Slayer," he muttered. How? How could this have happened to her? Her, of all people? That stupid irritating legacy had chosen her? But she belonged to *him*.  
  
"Find her. She's mine."  
  
"But Master, if she's a Slayer - "  
  
"Find her!" he snapped, eyes glowing red.  
  
The witch and Phyre hurried out of the chamber. The victim started to scream again. He reached for her.  
  
The screams soon stopped.  
  
* * * 


	5. part 5

Part 5  
  
She didn't care if it was raining. A little water never hurt anyone. Dawn was pretty certain that the others would be looking for her before long. Why couldn't these people understand she wasn't a little kid anymore? Okay, so the town was on a Hellmouth and she had run into a fair share of trouble there, but it wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.  
  
It wasn't like she was asking for something to come and attack her. She just - just didn't need everyone constantly checking she was okay.   
  
Dawn sighed, sitting down on the bench outside the Expresso Pump. She'd lost a sister who had died to save the world. Sometimes she missed Buffy so much it hurt like a physical pain. That didn't mean she wasn't *trying* to get on with her life.  
  
She stood up, wondering where to go when a sleek black Ferrari pulled up beside her. The window rolled down revealing a guy at the driver's wheel. He grinned, showing perfect white teeth. His eyes were startling amber, shining like gems, long black hair framed an attractive face. "Hey, you're look a little - drenched. Want a ride?"  
  
Dawn almost said no. That was the smart thing to do. She hadn't been in the mood for company, and she would just get a lecture for going off with a stranger. Then again, Dawn didn't feel like doing the right thing at the moment. The right thing sucked, big time.  
  
"Yeah, a ride would be great." The passenger door opened and Dawn got in. The car sped off with a screech of tires. "So who are you, anyway?" she asked.  
  
"Gabriel," he answered.  
  
Dawn's eyebrow rose. "You're kidding."  
  
"Hope." He gave her a sly grin. "I ain't no angel, though."  
  
Dawn couldn't help a smile. "Me neither. Dawn."  
  
They stopped at a red light.   
  
"So Dawn, where'd you want to go?"  
  
The last place Dawn wanted to go was home. "Anywhere. I don't care."  
  
* * *  
  
The rain thudded on the roof of the crypt. A dull leaden sound, echoing in the place, making thinking of anything impossible. Then again, there was only one thing Spike thought of these days.  
  
*Her*. How she'd gone and left him, and she would never have the chance to love him. He was alone. And that...hurt. He remembered his break up with Drusilla, how he had begged to die rather than live without her, wanted her to cut his head off "just a small sign to show she'd cared". He'd thought that was the worst he could feel. Only after Buffy's death that pain he'd felt then was now magnified by ten.  
  
He only helped out in her honour. She would maybe even be proud of him if he assisted her friends in fighting the Sunnydale nasties. And Dawn needed someone to watch her back. The kid still managed to get herself into all sorts of trouble and needed rescuing. And he sort of liked playing the hero. He was pretty certain she had a little crush on him.  
  
And speaking of whom, Spike hadn't heard anything in nearly a weak. This was still Sunnydale, right?  
  
It wasn't even like he could go out and feed to ease the pain anymore.   
  
Sighing angrily, Spike reached for the bottle of Vodka sat on the lid of the tomb, only to realise it was empty and tossed it roughly to one side, smashing it.  
  
"Can't I ever get a bloody break?" he muttered, gripping the edge of the tomb.  
  
"So this is what has become of the great William the Bloody. Reduced to mooning over Slayers and having temper tantrums."  
  
Spike turned and the unexpected and unwelcome female voice. He scowled at the purple haired vampire in her tight leather and lace black dress. "Phyre. What the hell are you doing in town?"  
  
"On the search for the new Slayer. Thought I'd stop by." She smirked.   
  
"New Slayer?" Spike asked, faintly interested.  
  
"Yeah, we've got the word she's coming here. You're the current Sunnydale vamp up on the annoying bitches. Know anything?"  
  
Spike's laugh was hollow. "Even if I did, why would I waste my breath telling you? Now get out or get staked. Your choice."  
  
"You always did have a temper, William." Phyre smirked. "And you're still beneath me. I'll see you round." And she left.   
  
Spike scowled. If things weren't bad enough as they were, Phyre had to pick now to return? The stupid bitch still thought she could walk all over him. If Phyre was there, it was a safe bet that Gabriel and Elias would be following shortly.   
  
Maybe it was time he paid a few old friends a visit.  
  
* * * 


	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
The trip was starting to get on Cynthia's nerves. The English woman from the Watcher's Council had finally given her name - Ellen Simmonds. Not that it meant anything.  
  
They had stopped at a cheap motel for the night. Unfortunately Ellen had only gotten one room with twin beds. There didn't seem to be anything she could do - apart from killing the woman - to get five minutes to herself.   
  
She looked at the clock. 2:45a.m. She was supposed to have been meeting with Elias and Phyre that evening. Someone would have noticed she was missing by now. When the Boss found out there would be hell to pay.  
  
Cynthia stared at the ceiling, still trying to work out how this whole Slayer thing had happened to her. ~Maybe they made a mistake. Maybe I'll get to Sunnydale and I won't be able to do what Slayers do and I'll get to go home before I get my lungs ripped out.  
  
She sighed heavily, rolling over. She couldn't believe her idiot mother had actually bought Ellen's story about her being accepted to some special school for people with exceptional abilities. Mom had been thrilled.  
  
Cynthia had wanted to scream out the truth, then Mom would assume Ellen was insane and never let her go.   
  
Only she hadn't. She hadn't been able to say anything. She had just stood there weak and mute and stupid. What did the Boss *see* in her, anyway?  
  
She hit the pillow in frustration. It was bad enough that she had to fulfil a destiny she didn't *want* to fulfil, and on top of it all, she was being carted off to the place where the old Slayer had died.  
  
She was pretty certain she wasn't going to get a warm reception when she arrived in Sunnydale in the morning. Then again, she thought, Sunnydale was on a Hellmouth and full of vampires. Surely someone would have heard of her Boss. Her lips curved into a cruel smile as a few ideas began to form in her mind. Just because she had to have a front act as a Slayer, didn't mean that had to determine what she did on her time off.  
  
* * * 


	7. Part 7

Part 7  
  
Dawn tapped her fingers impatiently on the door of Gabriel's sleek black car. They'd stopped at a gas station as the rain eased off. Dawn took the opportunity to call Willow's cell. She didn't want the rest of the group barging in on her and Gabriel when they were getting to the good part.  
  
"Where *are* you? You know you shouldn't go running off like that!"   
  
Dawn's eyes rolled. "I know, I know. Anyway, I'm at Janice's, and I'll be stopping over, so don't worry. ." She hung up and called Janice, in case they decided to check up on her. Janice agreed if Dawn promised to tell her *all* the details.   
  
Dawn put her cell phone away, looking around for Gabriel. He was still stood outside, talking to a girl with purple hair and a tight-fitting leather and lace outfit. The girl caught her staring and flashed her a grin. Dawn smiled vaguely back.  
  
Gabriel looked at her, then said something to the other girl. The girl nodded and walked away.  
  
"Friend of yours?" Dawn asked as Gabriel got back in the car.   
  
"Yeah, that's Phyre. She's gonna drop by the house."  
  
"So where'd you live?"  
  
"Not far now." Gabriel seemed to have a habit of not answering questions directly. Which made her think he was hiding something. All that did was make Dawn want to know him better.  
  
They were driving to an older area of the town. The houses were large and sparse. They stopped at the last house at the end of an old road which was really nothing more than a dirt track. Then house itself looked dilapidated, like a haunted house from a bad horror movie. "You live *here*?"  
  
Gabriel shrugged, brushing a few strands of black hair out his eyes. "No rent."  
  
"I can see why," Dawn muttered.  
  
He pushed open the door. Dawn eyed the house dubiously, then followed him inside. Inside was as shabby as the outside. Old portraits of people probably long dead glared down at her from the walls.  
  
"You guys got a ghost to go with this dump?"  
  
Gabriel snorted, pushing open a creaky door. "Nah. A few vampires dotted around though."  
  
Dawn didn't react. She couldn't be sure if he was kidding or not. And yeah, she knew they were supposed to be the bad guys, but she'd known two vampires who weren't evil. "Let me guess, you've got a pet werewolf on the side."  
  
Gabriel laughed. "That'd be an interesting pet. Phyre had a banshee once."  
  
"The things that scream?" The room was meant to be a living room. There was a fire place, a moth eaten green couch, two chairs and a broken coffee table. "How'd you keep a banshee as a *pet*?"  
  
"We didn't, the bitch drove us nuts. We had to get a witch to vanquish it."  
  
"Uh-huh." Dawn looked around, not really wanting to sit in the dank room.   
  
"Wait here."  
  
Gabriel lit a few candles on a mantel piece. Dawn watched him go, perching on the edge of the sofa. She was beginning to have second thoughts. She should have brought Janice with her, then she wouldn't have to be alone.  
  
"Help me!"  
  
Dawn stood up, startled by the voice crying out in the silence of the old house. "Who's there?" She ran out the living room, not sure which way to turn. Everywhere was so *dark*.  
  
"Help!" The voice sounded so desperate.  
  
Dawn saw a staircase going down off to her left at the end of the hall. A girl was crawling to the top of the steps. Her blonde hair was dishevelled, her eyes wet with tears. Her red dress was torn, and even in the gloom Dawn could see blood trickling out of the vampire bite on her neck.  
  
"We have to get out of here! They're *monsters!*" The girl cried.   
  
"Come on." Dawn helped her up.  
  
"Hey, that's my *dinner*." An amused male voice came out from what seemed like a dark void. He snatched the girl away from Dawn, snapping her neck, tossing her body carelessly aside.   
  
Dawn stood frozen for a second before she turned - and ran into Phyre, who's yellow vampire eyes were glowing, fangs glimmering dimly in the darkness.  
  
Phyre looked at the guy, eyes rolling. "What the hell are you doing, idiot?"  
  
"Well I wasn't expecting her to escape - or company." He grinned at Dawn.   
  
Dawn could feel hot tears stinging her eyes. Her heart was racing.   
  
The guy laughed. "Ooh, smell that *fear*."  
  
Dawn shoved Phyre out the way. Powered by panic she ran for the door.   
  
Only she never made it.   
  
* * * 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
The black candles burst into flame. The chanting began. The strange language echoed in the stone chamber. He stood, watching the ritual, a satisfied smirk on his face. Why had he not thought of this before?  
  
He had just been so thrown b the cruel fate bestowed on his beloved Cynthia, so angry that he hadn't been able to think straight. The bitch really thought she could skip town and not tell him? ^We'll see about that^ he thought.  
  
Phyre and Elias should be there in Sunnydale by now. She would have arrived there too.   
  
He was distracted from his thoughts by a brilliant green light coming from the witch's hands. The light seemed to move to form a column shooting up and down from the centre of the pentagram drawn in white chalk on the floor.  
  
The green light flared to an unbearable brightness. When it cleared three figures stood there.  
  
Tall creatures with bright neon blue skin. The female at the front appeared to be the leader. Raven hair cascaded down her back, reaching almost to her ankles. Her ears were elongated, pointed at the tops, the lobes flaring out. She wore a gold circlet on her head, a single large ruby glistening in the centre. Her clothing consisted of a silver brazier and a long copper skirt. Her blue waist was left exposed, showing a number of runic tattoos. The two males behind her had the same blue skin and black hair, but were covered in maroon robes.   
  
"You summoned us?" the female leader asked with a smirk.  
  
This was not exactly what he had been expecting, but nodded anyway. "Yes, I need -"  
  
The female waved a ring laden hand dismissively. Her nails were the colour of tarnished gold, almost as sharp as claws. "Yes, yes, yes, we know that." She snapped her fingers.  
  
The brilliant green light appeared again and another of the blue demons was there when it cleared between the robed males. She hung suspended in mid air. Unlike the others, her hair was white as snow. She wore a gold dress, sleeveless, tied under the bust with a chain of diamonds.   
  
The leader demon snapped her fingers again. The girl's eyes flew open. She opened her mouth and a wave of fire burst out. She fell to the floor looking around in a panic. Then she ran.  
  
"Is that supposed to happen?" He looked over at the demon leader inquisitively.  
  
The woman nodded. "She'll find you're Slayer, and my servants will be looking for her. And we'll bring them both back where they belong."  
  
Invoking the powers of the Ekrishinia was probably going to turn out to be a bad idea, he had known from the start it would be dangerous, and a woman in charge just spelled trouble.  
  
Then again, what fun was life without a little danger?  
  
* * * 


	9. Part 9

Part 9  
  
The night was uneventful. Cynthia must have drifted off to sleep. She wanted to stay in her world of slumber where she didn't have to think about reality. But unfortunately, Ellen wouldn't let her.  
  
"It's going to be a big day for you," she said sincerely.  
  
^Like I'm a child getting ready for her first day of school^ Cynthia thought moodily. She just grunted and didn't speak. She was too nervous.   
  
The town of Sunnydale itself wasn't all that spectacular, it didn't look that much different from her own home town, except it had palm trees instead of snow.   
  
They were driving down an ordinary suburban street, turning into the drive of a nice looking large house with a big front yard, shaded from the street with large bushes giving the house some privacy.  
  
Ellen ran a brush through her short brown hair. She smoothed down her skirt and straightened her tweed jacket. Cynthia's pulse was pounding in her throat. She was betting almost any vampire hiding under the sewers near by would be able to hear and they'd all be hammering for her blood the second night fell.  
  
An annoyed looking blonde girl answered the door with a curt, "We're busy, go away." She started to shut the door, but Ellen got her arm in, stopping her. The girl frowned. "You're not going away."  
  
"No, we're not. We're here to see Rupert Giles."  
  
The blonde looked critically at Cynthia. "So you're the new Slayer. You don't look up to much." She turned into the house. "Giles!" she yelled.   
  
"Anya, you don't have to yell, I'm right here." A man dressed in a blue shirt and dark pants appeared beside Anya.   
  
"Mr. Giles?"  
  
He stopped cleaning a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and slipped them back on. "Yes? And you are?"  
  
"Ellen Simmonds. From the Watcher's Council?"  
  
He looked at her blankly for a moment. "Oh. Oh yes, do come in. You've caught us at a rather bad time, I'm afraid."  
  
Cynthia followed them into the house, feeling ridiculously out of place. She heard voices and footsteps moving heavily about upstairs. A whole unit of do-gooders? She smiled faintly, thinking how much Phyre would love to get her fangs into any of these people. "What's going on?" she asked.  
  
"We have a demon passed out upstairs," Anya told her.  
  
"What type of demon? Is it restrained?" Ellen was walking up the stairs without waiting to be asked.   
  
"She asked us for help. We have yet to determine what she is." Giles followed Ellen.  
  
Cynthia hesitated, then went after them. Anya went into the living room. Cynthia heard the sounds of a soap opera on the TV. She wondered what that girl's deal was.  
  
They were led into a large bedroom which clearly belonged to a girl. Cynthia looked at the pictures stuck around the mirror frame, her fingers running over the personal knickknacks dotted around. She didn't want to be in this room. From the pictures and something inside her, she knew this was the last Slayer's room. She felt wrong trying to get into this girl's shoes.  
  
She turned to hurry out, but ran into a boy blocking the entrance, dark haired and dark eyed with a friendly, warm smile. "Hey there, you the new Slayer?"  
  
"Um, yeah. Cynthia. What's your speciality?"  
  
"Saving damsels in distress and kicking demon ass," he answered with a grin.  
  
There was an explosive snort from Anya who had decided to reappear. "Yeah, right, getting your ass kicked by demons is closer to the truth."  
  
"Okay, comic relief is my main function," the boy said, still grinning.  
  
Cynthia felt a smile trying to tug at the corners of her lips. She admired a man who could admit his faults and still laugh about them. Anya was glaring at her, slipping her arm through the boy's. "Xander's taken," she said pointedly.   
  
"Sorry. Excuse me." Cynthia pushed past them and hurried through the house looking for an exit. She found a kitchen and a back porch. She sat down, burying her face in her hands. This whole experience was a nightmare.  
  
"Oh, hi, you must be - "   
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, new Slayer, great," Cynthia snorted, looking up to see a pretty redhead standing in the kitchen door.   
  
"You don't sound too thrilled."  
  
"Frankly I'm not. I don't know why they picked me and I don't want to take over this girl's life."  
  
"You'll get used to it. We really do need a Slayer here. I'm sure you'll be just as good as Buffy, or with our help you'll get that good." The redhead offered a bright smile.  
  
Cynthia didn't feel any better.   
  
"We've got problems, we can't find Dawn." Another girl came hurrying toward them. Just how many people were in on this whole Slayer gig?  
  
"This is the new Slayer - " the redhead looked over at Cynthia.   
  
"Cynthia."  
  
The other girl, another blonde, smiled, looking almost embarrassed. "Tara, and that's Willow. I'd be politer, but - "  
  
"I know, I know, bad timing," Cynthia said. "Who's Dawn?"  
  
"Dawn's Buffy's younger sister. She went to stay with a friend last night and never came home. We've just called and she's not there," Tara explained.   
  
"So I'll do a sweep of the area," Cynthia offered.   
  
"Great. I'm sure Xander and Anya will go with you and help you find your way around. Have we checked with Spike yet? Dawn goes to hang out with him sometimes." Willow's eyes moved from Cynthia to Tara.  
  
"Daylight. No good for Spike, but we could ask."  
  
"Does Anya *really* have to come," Cynthia muttered, following Willow and Tara back into the house.  
  
Something about the name Spike stirred uncomfortable feelings inside her. She was sure she'd heard Phyre talking about an old lover of hers, called Spike. Or maybe she had misheard.  
  
"So who's on Dawn Patrol?"  
  
Before Cynthia could ask more about Spike she was bustled into the living room and out the door five minutes later with Xander and Anya. It didn't look like she was going to get much time to herself with life as a Slayer in Sunnydale  
  
^Welcome to the Hellmouth^ Cynthia thought to herself.  
  
* * * 


	10. Part 10

Part 10  
  
If Phyre and her stupid cronies had finally decided to give Sunnydale a try Spike was pretty sure it spelled DISASTER with capital letters. The bloody bitch still had the nerve to say he was *beneath* *her*.  
  
Angrily he gunned the engine to the motorcycle he had stolen. The sun had set and he was tired of being cooped up in his crypt during the day. He didn't give a damn about speeding or who he knocked over.  
  
^Never should have sired that bitch^ he thought. One screw up that couldn't be undone.  
  
If Phyre was here then she would have brought Gabriel and Elias with her. It didn't take much to find them. They had a taste for old houses, the type of deserted, ugly building that looked like it belonged on in a black and white horror movie.   
  
An as a town with it's own Hellmouth below it, of course Sunnydale had a haunted house. Large leafless trees lined the dirt track leading to the house, bare branches reaching up to the sky like crooked skeletons reaching out from the grave.  
  
There were no cars out front, and Spike knew for a fact none of them were powerful enough to have mastered teleporting to get around.   
  
He front door was hanging off its hinges even before Spike could kick it down. A feeling in the air was sending shivers even down *his* spine. He stood in the dark hallway, listening.  
  
No witty comments, no dry sarcasm seemed to want to come. There were a million things, insults mostly, that he wanted to scream at Phyre and the others, how ironic that when faced with them he was too pissed off to even think of one.  
  
In the silence a sound came, the desperate sobs of someone struggling for breath. Following the sound, Spike didn't see Dawn until he almost tripped over her. She was lying on the floor of the hall, not moving.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
Dawn didn't answer, didn't move. Spike nudged her with the heel of his booted foot. Strands of the girl's long brown hair fell away from her neck, revealing the large bloody vampire bite.  
  
"Shit," he muttered, dropping to his knees beside her, taking her in his arms. "Dawn!" He shook her. "Come on, don't die on me you bitch." He shook her again.  
  
Dawn's eyelids fluttered. "How'd I get here?" she muttered.  
  
Her heart beat was faint, she wouldn't stay alive long enough for him to get her to the hospital, not on a motorcycle. "Listen up, kid - "  
  
"Not a kid," she muttered, anger flaring in her eyes, "eighteen today."  
  
"I you don't shut up you'll be dead today," Spike snapped, and began unbuttoning the cuff of his black shirt. Finding a piece of broken glass on the floor, he made a small cut. Before the wound could heal he pressed the bleeding wrist to Dawn's mouth.  
  
He didn't know if this would work, or what would happen afterwards. All he knew was he wasn't going to let Dawn die. He had lost one Summers sister, he wasn't going to loose them both.  
  
* * * 


	11. Part 11

Part 11  
  
Cynthia felt like throttling something. Right now, she would have welcomed a vampire attack, demon attack, anything she could use to vent her frustration. She had yet to test her Slayer strength yet. After two hours of patrolling with Xander and Anya a vacation in hell sounded more appealing to her. His dumb jokes and her bitchiness were not helping.  
  
"We've tried every place a soon-to-be-eighteen year old would be," Cynthia said as they sat on a bench outside a local coffee shop.   
  
"Well it's not the first time Dawn's done this," Xander admitted, sounding serious for the first time since the search had started. "Since her sister died Dawn had been more and more rebellious, running into trouble. She hardly listens to us anymore."  
  
"There's a surprise," Cynthia snorted, folding her arms. "Why did neither of you think to mention this, say, four hours earlier?"  
  
"It was a good excuse to show you round and point out hotspots for demonic activity," Xander admitted.   
  
Cynthia sighed. A rebellious girl running around the Hellmouth, well aware of what lurked. Dawn was a year older than she was. How did they expect her to talk sense into this girl?  
  
"What's going on back at the house?" Cynthia asked, changing the subject.   
  
"A demon showed up last night claiming she's escaped from another world and wants to protect her. She's blue and rather obnoxious," Anya said, taking the lid of a coffee she had just bought.  
  
Cynthia's eyebrow rose. "Oh? You guys usually help demons?"  
  
"Our rep with some is - annoying." If anything Xander sounded a little jealous.  
  
Cynthia couldn't help wondering what all that was about.  
  
"Our last Slayer was in love with one vampire - " Anya started to explain, but Xander cut her off.  
  
"Who left town and never came back so let's not bore Cynthia with details."   
  
Cynthia found it hard to try and not smile. She'd heard rumours of a vampire with a soul that fell in love with a Slayer. She had thought it was utterly ridiculous, and since it had no effect on any of the people she worked with, she had paid no attention. She had enough problems of her own to worry about.  
  
Her Master would have to have realised she was gone by now. Why wasn't Phyre or Elias down here tracking her to drag her back? She turned back to Anya. "Anything else I need to be aware of in that department?"  
  
"Well, there's Spike, who's still lurking around like a lovesick puppy," Anya snorted, shaking her head in disapproval.   
  
"The plus side is he has this chip in his head which means he can't hurt humans and is useless," Xander added brightly.  
  
The mention of Spike again. Who the hell was this guy? Cynthia frowned. "What about this blue demon who showed up the other night?" she asked.  
  
"We don't really know anything. Giles and the others are doing the research," Xander said, standing and stretching. "I suppose we have two options. Continue the Dawn search or find out what's happening with this demon."  
  
Neither option was appealing to Cynthia. She looked at her watch. Late afternoon, not quite dusk yet. "You guys go back to the house, I'll do another sweep and see you back there."  
  
The nodded. She watched them walking off until they were well out of sighed. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked off in the opposite direction.  
  
She had seen an old-looking spooky house on earlier sweeps in the distance, she had been told it was deserted. In a town on a Hellmouth, Cynthia decided it would be a safe bet not to take anything for granted. Besides, it was the type of place that Phyre and the other loved to haunt.  
  
The house was dark, scary, everything you'd expect from the last house on a dead end road with skeleton like trees lining the sidewalks.   
  
"Anyone home?" she called, after opening the squeaking door. There were no lights in the place, vampires, of course, could see in the dark.  
  
"I'm more interested to know what the hell *you're* playing at." A door to her right opened, and Phyre came out. "A Slayer? Really?"  
  
"What the hell is the Slayer doing here?" An alarmed, unfamiliar male voice. Pale skinned, amber eyed, long black hair framing the attractive face. No one Cynthia recognised.  
  
"Relax, Gabriel. She's the Master's pet human," Phyre answered.  
  
Cynthia grunted. She disliked the term human pet, but couldn't deny the truth of the words.  
  
"And she's a Slayer?" the vamp called Gabriel asked doubtfully.  
  
"Hey, believe me, this wasn't my idea," Cynthia snorted, folding her arms. "The good news is I know where the old Slayer's friends are. They're still working their hunt-the-bad-guys operation."  
  
"You people weren't snooping around here earlier by any chance were you?" Gabriel asked, pushing Phyre out the way, still eyeing Cynthia with distrust.  
  
"No." Cynthia frowned. "Why?"  
  
"Then when the fuck did she go?" Gabriel shook his head angrily.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Some girl Gabe picked up and ate earlier. We left the body in the hall. Donnie was it? Danni?" Phyre glanced over at Gabriel who shrugged.  
  
Cynthia frowned. From the sound of her behaviour it was more than likely Dawn was the girl who had been picked up by Gabriel. Not surprising, for a vampire he wasn't bad-looking. And it was the ultimate stick-your-nose-up at the good guys to run off with the sexy bad guy. So where was Dawn now?  
  
"The Master is going to be *so* pissed when he sees you next," Phyre said with a smirk. She clearly didn't care about the missing girl. Phyre didn't care about anything that wasn't Phyre.  
  
Cynthia sighed. "I know. Just tell him - tell him I'm sorry." Cynthia turned and ran out the house, tears burning in her eyes.  
  
She kicked out at a mail box on a wooden stand, snapping the pole in two and sending it flying. She wanted to scream.  
  
* * * 


	12. Part 12

Part 12  
  
Cynthia pushed her anger aside, deciding she'd better return to the house before someone got suspicious. For one thing she needed some idea of just what she could do with her power as a Slayer.  
  
She'd been a pet to a demon she had been obsessed with. She had had no thoughts of life outside that. She'd been the human eyes, ears and provided her body whenever it was needed, but completely powerless.   
  
Okay, the power she had now was certainly not what she had thought - but she had power. Might as well see what it could do. Besides, there was this mysterious blue demon person to deal with. She had to admit, that had sparked her curiosity.  
  
"Have I missed much?" she asked, walking into the house.  
  
The group was gathered in the living room. Ellen's car was gone from the driveway.   
  
"We have a bit of a crisis. Dawn's still missing," Tara explained.  
  
"Ellen has gone as well, so you're to remain here so we can start training you," Giles put in.  
  
^Great^ Cynthia thought miserably. That meant no chance of getting away. "And what about this demon thing upstairs?"  
  
"The breed is called Ekrishinia. They're from a dimension known as Iszhnar."  
  
"Mainly colourful demons who do bizarre things," Anya put in, interrupting Giles's explanation.  
  
"So the demon version of the Twilight Zone?" Xander piped up.  
  
"Something like that," Anya said with a careless shrug.  
  
"So what's this Ekrishinia doing here then? Cynthia was not in the mood for banter, especially banter where she didn't really get the joke.   
  
"As far as we can tell she was summoned here. She's been plucked from her world into a completely different scene. There was a rebellion there or something along those lines," Willow added. "She's slipping in and out of consciousness, her English isn't too brilliant but we've found a demon language translator on the web," she nodded to the lap top set up on the coffee table, "so we can just about work out what she's trying to tell us."  
  
"And on top of this, this Dawn girl has gone AWOL?" Cynthia leaned against the doorway. None of this made any sense to her. So much for exploring her new powers.  
  
She had to make up her mind on what she wanted to do here. She was going round in circles trying to decide. There was her obsession with her master, and something reluctantly nagging her to do her duty as a Slayer. She was going to explode if she didn't come up with some sort of plan.  
  
"So we're no further on than when I left the house this morning?" Cynthia looked around the group.  
  
"We know a little more about the demon species, but apart from that we're kind of stumped." Willow was staring at the floor rather than looking into Cynthia's eyes.  
  
Deep thinking was really not Cynthia's thing. Watching and learning was. Forced into the front of an unfamiliar scene was another thing she was going to have to get used to. Slayers were supposed to be in charge and know what to do. She was totally clueless.  
  
"What about a locator spell of some kind?" she suggested. "That could be a start on where to find Dawn." It was about the best she could come up with.  
  
"We should have thought of that earlier." Tara's eyes rolled.   
  
"We've been kind of distracted, but it's a starting point. We'll go find one. Should be easy enough."   
  
Cynthia moved aside as Willow and Tara stood up and left the room while she wandered into the kitchen, her mind still in whirls. Maybe she could find a spell to get herself out of this whole Slayer gig. The *other* thing she could think of in that respect, was to become a vampire.  
  
It was another option to consider.  
  
As Cynthia thought of her predicament as a Slayer, something more disturbing was occurring to her. The name of the species Ekrishinia was ringing bells somewhere in her mind, but she couldn't figure out why.  
  
* * * 


	13. Part 13

Part 13  
  
It was almost dark. She'd be up soon. She would be hungry. Spike was starting to have second thoughts on siring Dawn now. His own hunger needs were held back by the stupid bloody chip in his head. When she rose, Dawn would be a new vampire without a soul, without a conscience. She could hunt, maim, torture, kill - and on top of that she could enjoy it.  
  
She knew the quirks of all the Scoobies, what made them tick...  
  
He paced around in his crypt watching Dawn who lay pale and still on top of the tomb in the centre of the place. He ached to grab the bottle of fresh, unopened Vodka in the fridge. But getting drunk wasn't going to solve the problem of vampire Dawn.  
  
The rest of her stupid friends were going to go mental when they found out what he'd done.  
  
"Wha..." A low mumble came from Dawn,  
  
"Dawn?" Spike moved to her side watching her eyelids flutter.  
  
Dawn groaned, sitting up slowly. As she did her face shifted, became the monstrous visage of a vampire. "I feel weird."  
  
"Yeah. That's cause you're dead."  
  
"Dead?" Dawn swung her legs round. "Oh." She sounded vague and distracted.  
  
Spike's eyes rolled, silently praying Dawn would keep her sanity intact. One insane girlfriend had been enough to handle. "It was either this, or leave you to die, pet."  
  
Dawn reached up and felt her face. "I'm...hungry."  
  
"I'll go get you something. You stay here."  
  
Dawn nodded, looking around as if she'd never seen the crypt before. "Be quick."  
  
* * *  
  
Dawn waited until she was sure Spike had left the cemetery. She opened the fridge, wincing at the packets of blood. She felt her facial features shifting - it was an extremely weird feeling but she needed her human face to hunt.  
  
She wasn't a kid anymore. ^And never will be again^ she thought. She left the crypt, ready to explore Sunnydale as a vampire. Part of her was aware Willow and the others would be looking for each other. Janice was supposed to be covering for her, but they wouldn't believe her forever.  
  
Scents wafted into her nose...the smell of small animals burrowing near by, a sickeningly sweet stench of rotting corpses in the ground. The night air itself had a clean, crisp scent, more distinct as she left cemetery. She noted other changes about herself too - her vision was sharper, clearer, while walking felt almost like floating.  
  
"Hey babe, looking for a good time?"  
  
Dawn's nose wrinkled at the mixed scents of cigarettes and alcohol on the greasy looking boy sauntering towards her. Tall and lankly, dressed in jeans and a torn red t-shirt with bushy ginger hair he didn't look very appealing to Dawn.  
  
But Dawn wasn't seeing a guy to have fun with.  
  
She saw him as food.  
  
* * * 


	14. Part 14

Author's note: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone's who's taken the time to read and review this fic, especially the people who keep coming back. I know it takes me forever to get parts out, and they vary in length (a short part is better than no part at all) but this story /WILL/ be completed eventually. Your feedback is always loved and appreciated.  
  
Part 14  
  
She tossed the body aside carelessly, licking the blood from her lips. The power coursed through her like nothing she had ever felt before. Dawn felt fantastic. Strong. Beautiful. No longer was she the dorky kid sister of a dead Slayer.  
  
An upbeat female pop band Dawn didn't recognise were playing at the Bronze when she walked. The crowd in front of the stage were dancing jauntily. The guys turned when Dawn sauntered past, checking her out in a way that had never happened before. She leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd looking for her next meal.  
  
"Dawn! Where have you *been* all day?" Janice came bouncing over.  
  
^Why don't I have any other friends?^ Dawn thought, scowling at the other girl with annoyance. "I've been sick," she lied. "Didn't feel like school."  
  
"Well Willow called *twice* looking for you. I totally lied and she bought it."  
  
A bar tender came over. "Two diet cokes," Janice ordered.  
  
Dawn winced. "Well I wasn't sick at home."  
  
"Oh, right. Hot guy. How'd it work out? Are you like, going steady?"  
  
^How lame^ Dawn thought. Janice needed a makeover in coolness. Dawn just looked at her nails, smirking demurely. "Let's say the unexpected happened."  
  
"Hey, you! How did *you* get here! How the hell did you get here?"  
  
Dawn recognised the purple haired girl Phyre, one of Gabriel's friends. The one who had sunk her fangs in, leaving her for dead.   
  
Janice was frowning. "Who's this?"  
  
"Someone way cooler than a waste of space and time like you," Dawn answered. Then turned to Phyre. "Take a guess."  
  
"Spike?" Phyre's eyes rolled. "I should have known. Where is he?"  
  
"Went to get me food. I decided to get my own." Dawn grinned, baring her teeth.  
  
Phyre stared at her, then laughed. "He doesn't know you're here."  
  
"I'm tired of doing what I'm told and being nobody," Dawn said, eyes narrowing. "I'm more than that now."  
  
"It's Dawn, isn't it?"  
  
Dawn and Phyre turned to look at the blond hunk who had approached them. Tall and muscular, dressed in a white T-shirt and hip-hugging jeans with a movie-star handsome smile and eyes the colour of the pacific ocean made Ross Tolstoy a dreamboat to most of the girls at Dawn's school.  
  
Yesterday, Ross just knowing her name would have made Dawn faint with joy. Now, she just looked at the *human* boy with disgust. "Yeah. And we're *going*."  
  
Dawn smirked at the look of shook on Ross's face. Clearly he wasn't used to being rejected by girls. Especially nobodies like her. Dawn felt a profound sense of satisfaction.   
  
"Why don't you just eat him?" Phyre asked.  
  
"I will," she answered. "Later. Right now, I need you to show me what the vampire community has to offer."  
  
* * * 


	15. Part 15

Part 15  
  
Cynthia watched the witches set up their location spell. She had seen the Master's witches perform spells before, but only from peeking around corners, and behind doors. Seeing open magic before her was kind of spectacular.   
  
A pentagram was set out on the living room floor, made with white stones. The room itself was lit entirely with candles. Incense was burning. A pretty typical magical scene, really. In a new territory, for Cynthia it was...something.   
  
"How long is this going to take?" Cynthia asked as Willow lit the final candle.  
  
"Shouldn't take more than five minutes," Willow answered.   
  
"Here's the map." Xander breezed past Cynthia with a map of Sunnydale in his hand which he spread out over the pentagram.   
  
"And the scrying crystal." Tara handed Willow a diamond on a gold chain.  
  
"Anyone home?" A cultured British voice came in from what sounded like the kitchen.  
  
Cynthia frowned, noting several annoyed glances passing between everyone.   
  
"In the living room," Tara answered.  
  
Cynthia frowned. "Am I missing something?"  
  
The male who came into the room was tall, strikingly attractive in a pale, ice-cool way. He eyed her with undisguised distaste. "Who's she?"  
  
"She's Cynthia, the new Slayer. Are you here for any reason other than to annoy us? No? Go annoy someone else."  
  
Cynthia frowned at Xander noting the coldness of his tone despite the sarcasm of the comment. She guessed there was some sort of rivalry between Xander and Captain Platinum. She didn't like the way Captain Platinum was glaring at her, like she was an irritating fly that had to be squashed immediately.   
  
"That's Spike. He - " Willow started to explain but Spike cut her off before she could finish the sentence.   
  
"We need to talk, now. Dawn."  
  
"What has that girl done with herself? She's in for a severe *talking* to," Anya grumbled. "My feet are covered in blisters."  
  
It had become clear to Cynthia that this Spike person didn't want to talk about anything relating to Dawn in front of Cynthia. "If you've got something to say, say it." She was tired of all the secrets and dancing around her.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud," Anya snapped impatiently. "Spike's a vampire. He's probably worried a new Slayer will dust him."  
  
"This is the love sick puppy with the chip in his head?" Cynthia asked, remembering her earlier conversations with Xander and Anya when they had been looking for Dawn that afternoon. Anya nodded. Cynthia turned back to Spike. "Xander, Anya and I spent all afternoon looking for Dawn, practically five minutes after I got here. Start talking." Her arms were folded, but she was ready to move at a moment's notice if she had to, though she probably didn't look or sound scary at all.  
  
"Spike if you know something about Dawn, tell us," Tara piped up.  
  
All this standing around and stalking was starting to bug the hell out of Cynthia. If this was how they had worked with the last Slayer, no wonder she was dead.   
  
"Dawn's...in my crypt. There...there was an incident and Dawn became...vampish."  
  
A heavy silence fell. Cynthia didn't see how it was done but the lights of the living room came on and the candles went out.  
  
"What'd you mean Dawn's gone *vampish*? What did you *do*?" Xander started forward, fists clenched, ready to swing.  
  
"Found her in an old hang out of some friends almost dead. I didn't - I didn't want her to die." Spike was looking at the floor, rather than the faces in the room.  
  
"So you made her a monster, well that's just brilliant," Xander snapped.  
  
"Vampires are *not* the same people they were when they were human," Willow put in. "You of all people should know that, Spike."  
  
"There was no other choice. No other way she would have lived. Unless you start raising the dead." Spike's voice held a hint of bitterness.  
  
Willow and Tara exchanged glances. Cynthia guessed this was a discussion they'd had before. She didn't care about the moral ethics of raising the dead. That wasn't the issue right now. "Okay, okay. So Captain Platinum here has clearly done something stupid and left us with a newly made vampire around somewhere. And let's not forget our demon girl upstairs." She paused. "Has anyone seem Mr. Giles?"  
  
"He stepped out to get some books from the Magic Box," Tara answered.  
  
Again they were left with an impossible situation to resolve. Cynthia wanted to scream.  
  
"Can someone come invite me in? I can't get into my own house! This sucks."  
  
This voice came from the front door. Standing in the open doorway was a strikingly pretty girl with an almost marble-like complexion. Shiny long brown hair hung almost to her waist. Dark eyes glittered with hidden depths. Her expression was - if anything, a little - pissed off. Her head tilted as she frowned at Cynthia. "You must be Cynthia."  
  
"Yeah. That'd make you Dawn?" Cynthia eyed her doubtfully.   
  
"Yeah. You gonna invite me in or leave me standing here?"  
  
Cynthia smiled humourlessly. "It's not my policy to invite newly made vampires."  
  
"I'm not like other blood suckers," Dawn said dismissively. "They'll tell you." She gestured at the others gathering behind her. Dawn looked at her friends, arms folded. "Well, come on guys."  
  
Cynthia looked back at Willow, ho seemed the most rational of the group.   
  
"You have some explaining to do first," Anya said, shoving her way to the front of the group.   
  
"Is it true? What happened?" Willow asked.  
  
"I got jumped by a vampire. Spike saved me."  
  
Cynthia didn't buy this innocent girl act. Her instincts were telling her to stake the vampire. Unfortunately, something told her the morons behind her weren't going to let that happen, at least not right away.  
  
"But if you're a - a - vampire, then why aren't you feeding?" Tara had her own question.  
  
"I fed already. Spike had some blood left in his crypt," Dawn answered, sounding impatient. "Look, this whole vampire thing is different on different people. Like I would even *want* to kill any of you when I know what you're all capable of."  
  
"Come on in, Dawn."  
  
Dawn smiled brilliantly. "Thanks Xander. At least someone's on my side." Dawn brushed past Cynthia and went into the house with her friends. Cynthia found herself sharing a look with Spike, who had hovered behind with her. Something told her both she and Spike were thinking the same thing.  
  
^Bad idea,^ Cynthia thought. ^Very, very bad.^  
  
* * * 


	16. Part 16

Part 16  
  
Everything was so strange. Airliana could only just work out what was going on. This planet...these people...everything was so...overwhelming. All she knew of Earth and its people was what she had seen in books, on computers. She could *read* the strange language, could almost understand the speech as the humans spoke, but she couldn't quite speak it herself.  
  
There was one word she knew. One word that stood out from all the rest. A word she had been taught was universal in every dimension.  
  
Slayer.  
  
A heroine. The Slayer - a legend in her world. A story told to make disobedient children behave. "Do as you're told or the Slayer will have to punish you."  
  
The Slayer fought monsters. The Slayer would help people in danger. The Slayer saved worlds. And the Slayer would save her.  
  
She also recognised the word "Watcher". The teacher of the Slayer. The Watcher was here speaking to her now. But she couldn't *communicate*.  
  
She was so frustrated. Voices were coming from somewhere. A multitude of different tones and emotions were flowing over her, making her dizzy. Airliana climbed out of the bed, creeping towards the doorway. Another word was being repeated a lot. *Vampire*. The arch enemy of the Slayer.  
  
Vampires were blood drinkers. Killers. Demons. But there were two in the house where the Slayer lived. It made no sense. She just wanted to go home. Back to St'rra where the other Ekrishinia were, where things made sense and Slayers were merely stories, and humans were slaves and kept in cages.  
  
The humans were crowding into the room and all talking at once. Airliana moaned, sinking down on the floor, burying her face in her blue hands, white hair covering her features. "Slayer...help me," she whispered.  
  
A girl in an odd yellow garment knelt beside her holding a pad of paper. She pointed at herself. "Slayer...that's me," she said. "Cynthia."  
  
Airliana took the paper and writing device and began writing her story.  
  
* * *  
  
Dawn's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the strange blue creature that was occupying Buffy's old room. Her gibberish wasn't making a whole lot of sense.  
  
Dawn didn't really care. So far, everything was working out perfectly. She had known, that of course, the Scoobies would invite her into her own house. As long as she acted just the way she had before. Until she took them out.  
  
One by one.  
  
The irritating good-guy group that stopped every demon's apocalyptic attempt. That kept the Hellmouth safe for the humans. What a bunch of - of *losers*! Dawn thought as she lay in bed.  
  
The whole sunlight protection thing was going to be an issue. What would she do about school? Willow and Tara were up right now working on some sort of protective amulet for her to wear.  
  
Yet another thing Dawn vowed to make different. In school Dawn was a nobody. If the witches could give her something that would allow her to go out in daylight then she could *really* shake things up. The first vampire to walk in sunlight.  
  
The first vampire to eliminate the Scooby gang. She would take over the Hellmouth. She would tell the popular people who was hot around here.   
  
^Definitely a fun new schedule to keep^ Dawn thought as her eyes fluttered shut and she drifted off to sleep.  
  
Dawn didn't sleep long. It was still the middle of the night when she woke again. Hunger was gnawing at her stomach. She got out of bed, dressing silently. She opened her window and slid out, dropping silently to the ground. She paused, smiling slightly at the tree outside Buffy's window. ^Oh Buffy, if you could only see your little sister now,^ she thought.  
  
Out of Buffy's window, a blue face was peering out at her. From what she knew the demon things' English was kind of crappy, so the thing couldn't tattle on her. Dawn waved in a mock salute. Xander and Anya had gone home, and so had Spike. Giles had come back from the Magic Box with the books he'd gone for. He and Cynthia were trying to work out what the demon girl's deal was. That would keep them busy.  
  
Spike...Dawn was utterly amazed he was still alive - in a manner of speaking - she couldn't believe Xander hadn't torn him to pieces. Xander was always looking for an excuse to get rid of Spike. Yet because of the restraint chip in his brain Spike always managed to remain just out of reach.  
  
"Hey - you got a light?"  
  
Dawn had wandered away from the safe familiar area of her house. Now in a dark unlit area, a pale girl in a red tube top and a black mini-skirt with stringy blonde hair had approached her cautiously.   
  
Dawn reached out, grabbing the hooker's bony arms and vamped out. The hooker screamed as Dawn buried her fangs in the girl's neck. The blood filled her with warmth, life, and a tingling buzz. Oh, she was *really* starting to like this vampire thing.  
  
She tossed the lifeless corpse aside, her thoughts drifting back to Spike and what to do about that stupid chip. She wondered what Spike was like back in his bad days. Buffy had always worried about what would happen in the unlikely event the chip would come out.  
  
Dawn had walked to the house were her life had changed. Gabriel was sitting on the ancient front porch, a cigarette in hand. "Well, well. Come back for more?"  
  
Dawn's arms folded, head tilted to one side. "I'm not sure what that means."  
  
"It means - " he gestured grandly around "whatever you want it to mean."  
  
"You guys know any witches or anything about a species of demon called Ekrishinia?" Dawn asked.  
  
Phyre came out of the painfully-loud squeaking front door. "How's your plan going?" she asked, spotting Dawn right away.  
  
Dawn shrugged. "So far so good."  
  
"She needs to know about the Ekrishinia," Gabriel said, dropping the cigarette and snuffing it out. "And a powerful Witch."  
  
Phyre eyed Dawn with an expression Dawn was unable to interpret. "I thought your friends were witches," Phyre said.  
  
Dawn shrugged again. "Yeah. But the problem is they're good witches, and won't do what I have in mind."  
  
She watched the two vampires exchanging glances. Gabriel was shaking his head, Phyre was chuckling. Dawn waited, her eyes on Phyre, who was turning out to be very useful.  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Phyre asked.  
  
* * * 


	17. Part 17

Part 17  
  
"Why have I heard nothing?" He paced around his chamber, irritation growing rapidly. He hadn't been contacted by Phyre or Elias or anyone.   
  
The Ekrishinia woman just remained in a lotus position, floating in mid air above the pentagram drawn on the chamber floor. Her priests had vanished. Flaming symbols of strange unknown origins were appearing around her every now and then, vaguely resembling the runic tattoos on the woman's blue stomach.   
  
"These things take time," she answered.   
  
"Time, time, time…" The Master snarled angrily. "Time we *don't* have. She will resist at first, but the call of the Slayer will be too hard to ignore!"  
  
This plan was not going as he had hoped it would. It was all very well having a human pet, but being - attached - to that pet was turning out to be a problem he had never begun to anticipate.  
  
"While the missing Princess is consuming the emotions of the Slayer and her Circle there are always other options to consider. Such as…getting a new human pet."   
  
His eyebrows rose meaningfully as he considered that option. Sunnydale was an interesting town. On a Hellmouth. But since Sunnydale was the home of the Slayer, he had been sensible enough to steer clear of the town send his followers to do the dirty work there for him.  
  
A human in Sunnydale, in the Slayer's circle. Yes, that would be extremely useful. Human pets, even the cute ones, were disposable.  
  
He smiled. "Actually I think you may have a point."  
  
The demon queen smiled. "I am always right."  
  
* * *  
  
"Can't we just stake the little bitch?" Elias grumbled angrily.  
  
Phyre was staring to agree with him. Dawn was becoming a real pain in the ass. She had barely been a vampire for a day, and she thought she was God's gift to the species, only because she happened to be close to the Slayer and company. Dawn seemed to think that seemed to think that gave her the right to boss them around.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking?" Elias snapped at Gabriel.  
  
"Me?" Gabriel scowled in annoyance from his seat on the moth-eaten couch, watching some black and white movie on an old -TV set he'd somehow managed to get working. "*I* didn't change the little brat."  
  
"Neither of you did," Phyre cut in. "We have Spike to thank for this."  
  
Elias shook her head. "Moron. What did you *ever* see in him?"  
  
"If he hadn't had a crush on me when we were human we wouldn't be here now and neither would you guys."  
  
Gabriel snickered. "Oh yes. The infamous poetic crap of William the Bloody, you and your 'Effulgent beauty' or whatever the hell he was blathering about."  
  
Phyre scowled, still furious at the thought of such hideous poetry written supposedly in her honour. She'd played along when Spike had come on to her, planning to kill her for rejecting him, but ended up changing her instead. "Dawn's a bigger problem than we thought. She seemed cool of first."  
  
Phyre stood up and started walking out the cob-web cluttered living room of the dilapidated old house.   
  
"Where the hell are you going?" Elias called after her.  
  
^Good question,^ Phyre thought. She hated it when this happened. The Master's witch had possessed her body to carry out some task. Hadn't the guy ever heard of a phone? Since when had she ever said no to something her Master had asked of her?  
  
She continued walking through the streets of Sunnydale, past the Bronze, through the town centre to a suburban area of large houses. Glancing at the sky Phyre frowned. She could smell daybreak coming. She hoped whatever she was supposed to be doing wouldn't take long.  
  
The house she was stopping in front of had a large front lawn, a big tree out front and lush-looking green plants. //Kill her// the mental voice inside her ordered.  
  
Sitting on a front porch was Cynthia, from where she stood Phyre could see she was asleep.  
  
^Some Slayer^ Phyre thought.  
  
* * * 


End file.
